I Am Truly Rich

	I believe in the importance of healthy relationships. Having good and healthy relationships is what makes life worth while. It is what makes people truly rich. 
	Thinking of somebody as being rich and happy, we often think of people with massive amounts of money. But those with strong relationships are the richest and happiest of all. The wealthy ones may be outwardly rich, but the ones with great relationships are the ones that are inwardly rich. 
	When we, as a culture, look at people with good amounts of money, we often crave what they have thinking that owning these things would make us happy or fulfilled inside. However, I don't think money plays a role of true happiness. Sure, when you buy something, it can make you happy for a little while, but if you lack good relationships, wouldn't you still feel a hole inside of you? Wouldn't you feel lonely? If you don't have family or friends that love you, you're missing something. A chunk of you is missing, and it cannot be replaced with anything you buy from the stores. 
	When I go to the store with a friend or family member, I am so much happier when I buy something with somebody there with me then when I buy something at the store all by myself. Others might have different opinions, but I think that when you do an activity of any kind, it's so much more fun when you are accompanied.
	My family, for example, is not rich in wealth like some other families might be, but we are rich in our thriving relationships that we have with one another, and that we have in God. My family has such a strong bond, that I feel like the richest person alive sometimes. 
	My dad takes all the time he can when he's off work to spend with the family. My mom constantly gives up so much of herself for each one of us, cleaning around the house, bringing us to various locations, and being there if we need somebody to talk to. My brother is the master of sharing and lifting up my moods when I am stressed about my homework. And my sister and I can talk about anything. How many sisters these days do that? We trust each other, and that is something I could never take for granted.
	I feel as if I could do anything for any of them. Jesus did that long ago. He died on the cross for our sins because he loved us so very much. The love that he once showed, I strive to spread to other people around me that feel lost or worthless.
	I have been truly blessed by God with a family that loves and cares for me. To feel the love from my family makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. But to know that the  one and only creator cares about me in the most personal way that he does changes who I really am from the inside out. I feel like I am worth it. If a great and powerful God loves me more than I can even wrap my mind around, I must have significance. 
	My family lives in a strong faith in God, believing in his unconditional love for us. We receive his never-ending love and then try our best to pass his love on to others- expressing God's love through all the relationships that we have. 
	I always feel for people that have dysfunctional or even harmful families and friends. They are not rich in relationships, instead they are affected by bad influences. Relationships may not always be good ones, and that is why we have to be careful with the ones that we choose. 
	I know so many people that have grown up in dysfunctional families who have no faith in God, that become hurting and lonely people. Their families don't know God or God's love for them, so they don't know how to really love each other. They often look for love in the wrong places, only causing more damage and turmoil to themselves.
	Seeing this around me every day when I go to school in the small community that I live in reminds me only more of how important good and healthy relationships are to people. It is a part of human life to want to be loved. People search for other people to share a certain bond with each other. The important part of this is that we keep those bonds healthy and blooming. If we do not, then our children and grandchildren will sink deeper and deeper into the dysfunction that we ourselves have started. If we fail to show love and kindness to others, there will be an ongoing cycle of harmful relationships. This is why I believe in the importance of healthy relationships.